The Evening: USMCA Signed, EU's Final Brexit Nod, More Than a Feeling and More

USMCA Signed

President Trump signed legislation to implement the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, on Wednesday, fulfilling a key campaign promise to renegotiate North America’s economic infrastructure, as the WSJ's William Mauldin and Alex Leary report.

WHO calls for emergency committee meeting on Coronavirus

The World Health Organization will reconvene its emergency committee Thursday to determine whether the coronavirus outbreak amounts to a public health emergency of international concern, as the total number of people infected in mainland China surpassed those infected with SARS during the 2002-2003 epidemic, as the Washington Post’s Simon Denyer, Siobhan O’Grady, Hannah Knowles and Reis Thebault report.

Dive Deeper: “Critical Questions: The Novel Coronavirus Outbreak,” by CSIS’s Steve Morrison, Jude Blanchette, Scott Kennedy and Stephanie Segal.

EU parliament gives final approval to Brexit deal

The European Parliament gave final approval to Britain’s break from the European Union on Wednesday, paving the way for the country to quit the bloc on Friday after nearly half a century and delivering a major setback for European integration, as Reuters reports.

CSIS Executive Education

We invite you to apply or nominate a high-potential employee for the 2020 CSIS Accelerator Series, a training program designed to help young professionals refine their strengths in leadership, management, communication, and a range of professional skills required in today's competitive work environment.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “Testify,” "What's Happening," "Preview," and “High Resolution.” And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!

In That Number

1.5 to 1.75%

The Fed’s interest rate remains in a range of 1.5 to 1.75 percent, today announcing that it is leaving rates unchanged.

Source: Washington Post

Critical Quote

“Although the numbers outside China are still relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak.”

— WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

iDeas Lab

Iran has shown a growing willingness to use its missile forces in combat operations in recent years. Read the CSIS Missile Defense analysis.

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and video.

Optics

(Photo credit: Yves Herman/AFP/Getty Images). Members of European Parliament react after voting overwhelmingly to approve the Brexit deal with London, clearing the final hurdle for Britain's departure from the EU.

Recommended Reading

“Signposts of Struggle: Iran’s Enduring Protest Movement,” by CSIS’s Danika Newlee, Seth Jones and Joseph Bermudez Jr.

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:00 a.m., CSIS will host a forum on “Why Think Tanks Matter and the Future of Policy Advice” where the University of Pennsylvania will launch its 2019 Global Go To Think Tank Index.

And, at 9:15 a.m., The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace will host a discussion on “European and Transatlantic Security in the 2020s.”

Later, at 6:00 p.m., The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) will host a nonpartisan conversation on critical foreign policy challenges facing the 2020 presidential candidates.

Video

CSIS today hosted a conversation with Harmut Neven, head of quantum computing at Google, on the future and impact of quantum technologies. Watch the event here.

Podcasts

Bob and I speak with Leonard Downie Jr, former executive editor and vice president of the Washington Post, about covering impeachments and the state of the media.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Boston’s eponymous first album released in late August, 1976 sold 17 million copies making it one of the best-selling debut records in rock history. It sounds as good today as it did back then.